Building a bridge to housing

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced an $11 million windfall she hopes will be used to create temporary housing and support households who are on the verge of homelessness.

The money comes from the sale of a city-owned property.

Hailed as Durkan’s first piece of major legislation, the awkwardly named “Building a Bridge to Housing For All” aims to invest proceeds from the property sale in city services and a “bridge housing strategy” to get people into shelter while other investments in permanent housing mature.

“Right now we do not have the short- term shelter capacity to get people off the street and into something more humane. This is a start to fix that,” Durkan said.

Durkan told reporters that $2 million would be invested in rental assistance to prevent people from falling into homelessness.

The mayor made the announcement at the Seattle Vocational Institute where students build tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness.

Ashley Archibald is a Staff Reporter covering local government, policy and equity. Have a story idea? She can be can reached at ashleya (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Twitter @AshleyA_RC